Hartford Betamax Black Book Edition Stars Without Number Campaign Influence- Space Adventure Cobra

Introduction 

I'll say it before and I'll say it again. Part of my brain feels as though its work,errmm still working in a back alley video rental place someplace near China Town in Boston back in 1990 something.  When I was working there 'Anime' or 'Japanmation' was a big deal and just starting to come into the states. I used to travel between Boston where my job was and Connecticut on the weekends mostly to see my folks and to do some serious table top role playing. Back then I went down to 'Fathers and Sons in Manchester' Ct. for 'Anime night'. I used to arrive Friday and spent the weekend. Game, hang out, see friends, and go watch anime. Then early Monday morning, five am hot foot it back to Boston for work. Yeah, yeah, I was completely nuts. Anyhow, back then an old favorite was on the rotation of the VHS cassettes. I used to recommend it as a rental as well.
 Space Adventure Cobra was/is an old favorite. Sort of a combo of Total Recall, shiny metal cyborg goodness, and ultra violence. 

According to Wiki 

Set in the far future, the series tells of a man called Cobra, who lived an adventurous life until his enemies began to hunt him down. Cobra surgically altered his face and erased his own memory in order to hide from his foes and lead a normal life. He soon regains his memories and re-unites with his old partner Lady Armaroid and his ship Tortuga. Cobra travels the galaxy, fighting the outlaw Pirate Guild, but also fleeing the law-enforcing Milky Way Patrol. Along with his charm and wit, Cobra survives thanks to his Psycho-Gun, a weapon embedded in his left arm.

Main Plot According To Wiki: 

"Some time in the far future, an office worker named Johnson leads a dull and mundane life. One Sunday morning his robotic servant, Ben, suggests that he go to the Trip Movie Corporation, a company that enables their customers to experience a dream as if it were real. Johnson asks to be the king of a harem, surrounded by beautiful women, and commanding a battlestar.

In his dream, Johnson becomes "Cobra", an adventurer who explores space with hisandroid partner Lady Armaroid. Cobra wields the "Psycho-Gun" to fight against monsters from other planets and against the Pirate Guild. After a battle with the Guild, Cobra allows the leader, Captain Vaiken, to escape. Vaiken distributes Cobra's picture to all the other pirates, making him a wanted man. After the dream ends, Johnson describes the fantasy to an attendant, who is surprised since it should have been about being the king of a harem with no reference to pirates or the infamous Cobra.

On his way back home, Johnson crashes into a speeding car. Coming face-to-face with the driver, he is astonished to notice that the man looks identical to Captain Vaiken. When Johnson mentions the resemblance, the driver reveals himself as Vaiken. Vaiken asks Johnson about "Cobra" and even threatens to kill him if he does not answer. Johnson then unconsciously lifts his arm as if he has a gun, and shoots a ray out of his hand, killing Vaiken. The shot blows up his arm, revealing the Psycho-Gun embedded in it

Johnson hurries home, where Ben notices the weapon on his arm. Johnson then realizes that he does not remember anything from before the last three years in which he has lived in his house. After looking into a mirror, he finds and turns a knob to reveal a secret room. There he finds a revolver which he used in his dream. At that moment, armed intruders break into the house and address him as "Cobra". In the course of the battle, Ben's robot shell breaks to reveal Cobra's comrade-in-arms, Lady Armaroid, and together they kill the intruders.

Johnson starts to remember his previous existence as Cobra. Hunted by the Pirate Guild for meddling in their criminal enterprises, he soon tired of his life on the run, surgically altered his face and had his memories erased. Lady Armaroid tells Cobra that the Trip Movie has apparently triggered his sub-conscious to bring back his old memories. Together, they resume their life of adventure."

Mining Cobra For Stars Without Numbers 
Between the television show, the comics, the movies, and everything else. There's enough cyborg action to keep any shiny campaign going for year or more. The idea of the memory impaired adventurers is an old one but one well worth mining. Then there are all of the tech level four/five cybernetics systems in here that can be used. Not to mention the huge anime style megadugeon space craft then round it out with the the minor npc characters that can renamed and re gigged and your in for an anime style action fest. 

Lady Amaroid was always an old favorite of mine and I wanted to really get into the technology behind her. There's an adventure waiting to be written just on her. 

Since the series of comicbooks ran according to wiki from 1978 to 1984/85. The series falls right smack into the heart of this series.
According to wiki:
The serialized form of Cobra originally appeared the Japanese shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump during 1978–1984. The individual chapters were collected and published in 18 tankōbon volumes by Shueisha.

The truth is that certain elements of this anime will be incorporated post haste into the Talon sector really soon! Meantime here's a bit of the intro to the television series. 

Support And Beyond!

Watch The Entire Movie  From 1995 Legally Right Over HERE

Check out The Wiki Entry Right HERE